The “Five Nights At Freddy’s” movie directed by Emma Tammi, translates the popular video game series into a supernatural horror film that weaves together themes of vengeance, haunting pasts, and survival. Starring Josh Hutcherson as Mike the security guard at the defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the film explores the darker side of the seemingly innocuous animatronic mascots as they come to life, posing a lethal threat to anyone present after hours. Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard round out the main cast, contributing to the dense atmosphere and backstory that fans of the franchise anticipate​. 

Despite starting with a promising concept, the movie received a mixed reception with critics giving it a Rotten Tomatoes score of 31%,. while fans gave a score of 87% (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_nights_at_freddys). Critics pointed out its shortcomings in character development and dialogue, contrasting it with the more detailed and atmospheric narrative of the video games. The film’s plot revolves around Mike’s struggle to keep his job to support his sister, all while experiencing vivid nightmares of his brother’s kidnapping, facing the terrors of the possessed animatronics, and solving the mystery of what happened. These elements create a storyline with potential, but are reportedly executed with varying success​​. 

Blumhouse Productions, known for their horror credentials, produced the film, which grossed $217 million worldwide despite its negative reviews from critics. The audience response, however, leaned more positively, signaling that while it may not have fully lived up to the expectations set by its interactive predecessor, it still held a charm for those familiar with the franchise​.

The film is layered with plenty of easter eggs and references catering to fans of the games, and includes a plethora of features that delve into the animatronics workings and the films development, showing its commitment to the source material. 

An anonymous source gave a review of the film saying “ I thought it was a fun film and for sure a great time, but some of the acting seemed a bit over the top and hit a bit of a boring bump throughout the middle. The movie was great whenever you were in the pizzeria experiencing the thrill of the animatronics but whenever you left it would almost take you out of the movie. I also feel like this movie would have benefited from a R rating showing off more gruesome kills by the animatronics. Overall the movie was certainly a fun time especially for fans and I think they’ll benefit from this movie the more the cast does a good job and and all around a good time for kids as well.”